About the show

Arthur Chase, the apprehensive professor, is compelled to delve into his student Collin's past to decipher the clues hidden within the poem, understand the guilt Collin feels for the loss of the girl he loved, and ultimately save him from taking his own life. The Black Book is a haunting exploration of a mind on the verge of collapse and the struggles inherent with oneself. The play propels the audience members through a psychological chess game, challenging them to always stay one move ahead.

"While its goal of dealing with the problem of suicide is certainly laudable, the play is such a confusing mishmash of surrealism and realism—mingling dreams, memories, soliloquies, direct address, violence, loud whooshing noises, and numerous other pretensions— that whatever message it seeks to convey is lost in the dramatic detritus."
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"It immediately suggests that dramatist Phil Blechman, who also directs, is about to make a point of life's being a game of chess. Yes, the old, dreary saw...Utterly pretentious...It's difficult for onlookers to determine what's going on...Who can say for sure? I can't. Nor have I any interest in trying. From time to time sound supplier Marc also pipes in a male voice sing-songing the phrase 'I am slowly going crazy.' Watching 'The Black Book,' I, too, was going crazy -- and not so slowly."
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"The intriguing way all the seemingly disparate elements come together in the denouement makes for a satisfying, very involving evening in the theatre...The entire cast becomes a great ensemble, totally in synch with each other. That they are also great looking takes nothing away from their acting talent."
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"By design a psychologically complex but also inexplicably confusing and totally confounding play. It is meant to keep its characters, all well acted, in emotional transition as well as the audience in a state of quandary. That's fine as far as it goes except that one is likely to lose track of the who, what, where or when about halfway through."
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"This head scratcher of a play may be convoluted at times, but it is utterly mesmerizing...Fifteen minutes in, I was on the edge of my seat, holding my breath awaiting the next development, not wanting it to end before I could figure out what is going on...The speed of 'The Black Book' is very quick, leaving you almost breathless. Shocking at times, it deals with very heavy themes of mental illness, death and suicide, yet leaves you questioning what these things really mean in the context of ...
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"After seeing this play, my interest in suicide was not piqued. All I desired to know was why Phil Blechman hadn't yet burned every copy of this convoluted, incomprehensible script that leaves audiences scratching their heads and wondering why they had to be subjected to such unfocused, ridiculous drivel...On a positive note, all the actors in this production were top-notch professionals."
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"This fast-paced trip of unsettling imagery addresses issues of adolescent depression but fails to culminate in a cogent thesis on the subject...Blechman’s engaging script and direction are clearly calculated. Each line weaves together with another, forming an intricate web of detail and nuance. The result is a shade away from a brilliant Christopher Nolan screenplay: thoroughly gripping from start to finish but failing to achieve the satisfying point of dizzying cohesion required of such sto...
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